Steal Me From Heaven (10 page)

“Come,” I say as I lead him over to the concrete dungeon wall. I push him forcefully against it and kneel in front of him. I take him into my mouth. He tastes and smells like me. I find that I am not repulsed, but intoxicated instead. Running my tongue up and down his shaft, I clean him. His mind goes wild with my thoughts. I feel his hands entangle in my dark hair. He does not try to guide my movements, only holds me as I work. I look up and see him stretch his head towards the ceiling. He lets out a primeval howl. I smile and continue to please him. My thoughts are turning more and more erotic. I feel my teeth lengthen. He yells.

I do not sleep until late in the afternoon. He is lying on the steps, and I am cradled against his shoulder. I hardly noticed that there wasn’t a bedroom last night. We made do. Nighttime comes all too soon, and he stirs beneath me. I run my hands down his body and lower down his abdomen. He stops me and moves my arm to enclose his waist. He kisses my head. I wake and smile at him. He is watching me sleep.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks me.

“Yes, and you?”

“No, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you.”

I try to stand but falter in my steps and have to hold the hand rail. I hurt from too much sex. He steadies me in his hands as he rises to his feet. I notice his lower body is covered in his blood. Realizing what we did last night, I feel the heat rush into my cheeks and look away from him. I almost lose my balance again.

“Easy, love,” he says to me.

“I’m sorry that I did that to you,” I say as I look once again into his black eyes.

“I’m not. I look forward to returning the favor sometime.” My legs involuntarily close together. He laughs. “It appears that I have hurt you as well. Can you walk?” I nod my head yes. “I have some blood in storage. I’ll have some sent to our room. I don’t think I could risk watching you drink from another man, let alone a woman, anytime soon. You about drove me mad.”

“All in good fun, nothing more than that. How are we going to get to our room without our clothes?” I ask.

“Fly,” he says as his shoulders shrug forward. I see shadows crawl up the wall behind him before his black wings appear. “We have a couple of horses to catch,” he says, recalling what I wanted to do tonight.

We jump into the shower and against my better judgment, we have sex. So much for slowing things down. He doesn’t linger in the act, but brings me to my apex before he quickly follows. When we step out in our towels, there are two wine goblets of blood for us waiting on a silver tray. I pick them up and hand him one. We sit down on the couch and each take a sip.

He looks pensive. “Come, let’s get dressed.” He downs his drink very quickly. I do the same and follow him to the walk-in closets. I pick out a pair of jeans and boots and pull a lacey low-cut tank top over my head. There is no need to wear a bra. He will like that. Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I step out to find him in a pair of dark-wash denim jeans and a cotton button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his muscular forearms. I look him up and down. He looks good in jeans. My eyes linger on the bulge pressing against his zipper.

“Careful, I’m starting to feel like a piece of raw meat.” He pauses. “I love your top.” The last time he told me that he liked my dress, my nipples were poking through my silk dress without my knowing it. This time I knew they were very visible through the thin cotton and lace. “You do like to tease me. The way you’re going, we may not make it to the stables. I plan to make love to you once more before I take my leave again.”

“You are not staying in the morning?”

“I have some matters to attend to later tonight. I will not be far from you. I will hear you if you call and I will bleed if you are thirsty. I will satisfy if you yearn. I will be back here before you slumber.”

I cannot stop the tears this time, and they fall to the floor. “I love you,” I whisper under my breath. He glides up and embraces me. As he spins me around in his arms, my feet lift off the floor. He asks me to say it again.

“I love you, Jacob,” I say before he kisses me.

“I have been waiting over two human life spans to hear you say that again to me. I love you, Marion, never forget that.” He kisses me again before setting me back down. His smile embraces his entire face. I love to see him this happy.

We hear a knock on the door. “Come in,” Jacob says.

A man who looks like a butler enters. “The horses are out front, sir.”

“Thank you, George.”

“Sir, if I may say, we had to close portions of Biltmore today. I’m sorry, we lost some revenue. Apparently there were noises and screams coming up from the center chimney. It appears that the hearth has caved in. I called someone in to fix it, discreetly, of course. We have used his services before with no problems.”

I have to turn around. I cannot stop myself from blushing and snickering.

“Thank you, I trust your judgment. Do what needs to be done. You have made my arrangements for later?”

“Yes sir.” George closes the door behind him.

Jacob heads over to the window and opens it. He motions me over to his side. “School time,” he says. I roll my eyes. “What? You told me to tell you. Lesson six; you can jump and land great distances. Lesson seven; you can fly, but apparently not yet.”

“Yes, I figured out six, seven, and lesson eight; I can move objects with my mind.”

“When did you move anything?” He sounds surprised.

“Yesterday morning when I was forced to close the blinds on my own accord. I opened them again at dusk.”

I look out the window at the ground below. We must be about five stories up. My knees get weak. I feel Jacob’s hand on my lower back.  “Don’t you dare push me,” I threaten as I turn to look at him. He has a smirk on his face, but pulls his hand away. I climb out onto the window sill. There is nothing to it. I try to talk
myself into leaping. It is not working. “You go first,” I say so I can see how it is done, but mainly so he can catch me if needed. He climbs out to join me.

“We can go together if you wish.” He takes my hand in his.

“No, I want to try on my own.” Smiling while he lets go of my hand, he steps off the ledge. Okay, so he didn’t jump up in the air, he just fell. I look down and swallow. I close my eyes, and I fall.

“Open your eyes,” I hear him shout at me. I do just in time to see the ground as it fast approaches. I brace my feet for the landing. My legs bend, and I go down on one knee, but I am fine. He does not help me up. I stand. He takes my hand, and we walk around to the front side of the house.

The horses are large and decked out in their western gear. Jacob’s stallion is midnight black. I am not surprised. My mare is smaller, a golden blonde. They are magnificent creatures. He walks me up to my horse.

“No,” I say. “I’ve ridden before. I think you’ll recall that I am quite good at it.”

He hands me the reins and walks over to his steed. I mount my horse. Before he even has his foot in the stirrup, I squeeze my thighs and kick my heels into her side. She leaps forward. I give her the slack she needs, and she stretches her head further as she eases into a gallop. I hear Jacob not far behind me urging his horse to follow. A stallion has more testosterone and muscle than a mare. I will have to chide him for not making this race an even one. He thinks that I can’t handle the brute strength and attitude of an unneutered male. If I can handle Jacob, an animal three times his size shouldn’t be a problem. He knows I am the better rider.

My mind flashes far back in the past.
We are riding slowly side by side. Our horses are bay geldings. We are on a path cut through the forest. I am wearing a white dress similar to the one I wore when he made me his Vampire bride, but it is much older and the style less seductive. We stop and tie our horses to a tree. Several men approach us; a couple of them have females at their side. I see a younger version of Jacob’s sister. She is wearing a short white dress and has ribbons in her hair. A man and woman stand beside me. She brushes my hair back with her fingers and kisses my cheek. Jessica stands between another couple, and two older men come to a stop in front of us. One man starts talking to me, but I cannot make out the words. The other man speaks to Jacob. Next I see a ring sliding on my finger. Jacob leans in and kisses my cheeks one by one. I do the same to him. We are getting married for the first time.

My horse’s front leg hits the ground hard, and I rise up in my seat. I keep my balance over my center. Her hooves are thundering against the rolling grass. I shouldn’t take her at this speed, especially at night, but I cannot resist the temptation. I hear the nostrils of the horse behind me flare. He is catching up. I bank sharply right and lope up a rising hill. He is slow to turn, and I gain some ground from him. I hear him laugh behind me. This is fun. I feel her sides heaving against my legs. Her sweat is making me euphoric. I lean my head back and look at the stars above me. Reaching up, I pull out my ponytail to feel my hair flow behind me and gently tickle my back and shoulders. I hear my horse breathing faster and faster. I cannot make her keep this pace for much longer. Pulling back on the reins, I ease her into a steady jog before slowing to a trot. Jacob catches me and eases up as well.

“Show off,” he laughs. He looks down at my chest bouncing freely in my top. “What’s the point of not wearing a bra if I’m behind you the whole way?”

I giggle. “That should be motivation for you to win next time.”

He leans over and smacks my horse’s large rump. She leaps forward and trots several steps. My breasts are jolting up and down. I did not have time to support them with my arms like I did when I was galloping. It hurt. His eyes widen.

I regain control quickly. “How old are you?” I ask.

“Not old enough to know better.”

“You are like a horny teenage boy,” I comment.

He comes to a halt and dismounts his steed. I pull up and do the same. I take the reins in my hand, and we walk to cool the animals down. “Can I ask you something?” I say.

“Anything.”

“I know you don’t want to tell me much about my past without me remembering first, but my wedding gown. I have worn something almost like it before. I know it can’t be the same one because of the time difference, but they looked almost identical. Will you tell me about that or when we met? Anything?”

“The old dress is gone; a fire took it. My sister must have altered a new version of it for you when she knew that I had
gotten you back. I was quite pleased with her gift, but I didn’t want to push the memory on you. She had an excellent recall of the details even though she was only a child.” He takes my hand in his as he continues speaking. “My dad is from Ireland and my mother is Dutch. They met while they were both searching out new lands with better soil. Moving from place to place, they would make the ground fertile, sell many crops, and raise livestock. They tried to sell off the land before the King or Queen’s men would come looking for taxes. They made lots of coin that way for many years. I was a teenager when my father almost got caught. It scared them into quitting the business and settling down.

“They went to England when I was seventeen years old. We were passing through a village and that is where I spotted you in a blue cotton dress shaped only by the apron string tied around your waist. You had eggs, carrying them around to sell. I bought them from you for three days straight before I asked you your name. We started talking after that for hours at a time. When my parents were ready to move on, I told them that I was staying and making my home in that village. I asked you to marry me. We wed in the forest. Your mother made your dress for you. My sister made a halo of flowers for your hair. Both sets of our parents were there. We received their blessings. My dad bought us seventy-three acres to farm and start our lives together. Your dad and I cut logs with our bare hands for our home and a small one for them so they could live close to us and…” He stops talking.

“And what?” I ask.

“And we lived there until I turned twenty-six. That is when I went to Great Britain on business and unfortunately, you know the rest.” I feel as though he is leaving out great details, but I am glad that he is telling me this much.

I start to cry, but not because of what he thinks. I stop him from caressing me. “I saw my parents’ faces when I was riding. They were at our wedding in the woods. Jessica had ribbons in her long hair. My mother kissed my cheek. You were wearing brown pants and a brown vest. I had on the white dress. We were so young. I remember seeing you in the village as you were telling me. I liked you immediately. I don’t remember your eyes being this dark. They seemed browner in the sunlight.”

“My eyes haven’t seen the sun in over one and a half millenniums.”

“Is there anything more to the story that you are not telling me?”

“Yes, but I cannot say. Do not ask.” He lets go of my hand and walks around to his horse. Unbuckling the straps and releasing the girth, he slides the saddle off and onto the ground. The black horse appears almost blue from the moon and the sweat as it glistens off his muscles. He removes the bridle, and the horse lowers his head to eat. Then he comes over and does the same to my mare. We leave them there standing in the field as they happily munch on the tall grass. “Someone will get them in the morning,” he informs me. I want to ask him more questions but he has already said all that he will tonight.